Iced Candy Adventure
by OkitaRin
Summary: Candice, a teenage girl is thrown into the HunterxHunter anime. Exciting right? But it all goes downhill when she realizes that no one, except for Kurapika can see her. Follow her adventures of vomit and despair, of romance and regret, of excitement and tears. AND PLEASE, stay with her until the very end... she'll need it. (KurapikaxOC)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Falling**

_It was a strange setting, blurred and unfocused. There was nothing there really... A forlorn chair lay coldly on its side, the wallpapers plain and washed out. There was an endless corridor, one with cold tiled floors that kept repeating the same boring pattern of elegant swirls. Draped curtains hung themselves upon the dull windows that decorated the rooms._

_**My house… What…? **_

_A girl ran sluggishly, her dark hair held back in a small ponytail. Her drabbed coat clung to her as she ran, her legs unfeeling. She didn't know what it was... but something - an unknown force- kept dragging her down. The air seemed dim._

_**No… It's not… **_

_Everything was hot and smoky as she continued to run. The blurriness was overwhelming… It clouded her vision, like a fog of white, hovering... and thick. Stray lines of liquid trailed a ragged path down her cheeks, her black fringe dipping into her eyes. Her chest fostered a heavy weight._

_**Why…? Why am I running…? Why am I… crying…?**_

_She didn't know how, but in some corner of her mind, she knew that there was going to be a fire. It would be a flaming horde that would tear the house down in its fiery jaws. _

_**Fire… Need… Escape…**_

_Her sleeves rubbed desperately at her clouded eyes, wiping away the pouring tears. It was futile. The salty liquid kept falling endlessly. Wiping them away… was an impossible task. _

_**Nintendo… Where is my Nintendo?**_

_A door collapsed in front of her, engulfed in beautiful flames of red and orange, their tendrils snaking up towards the ceiling like vines. The smoke crackled and chuckled, curling towards her in an elegant dance. _

_**My phone… Where...?**_

_Hastily, she ran towards a familiar room, completely guided by the instincts of her mind. Through the chaos, the black lid of a familiar device was visible and she took it without a second thought._

_**I need to hurry! Where is my phone…?**_

_Flames erupted from the walls that were closing in on her. Their heated tongues scraped noisily as they danced to a silent tune. It was hot in that room. Too hot, like feel of sleeping on a stove. _

_Her tears kept falling, her vision kept blurring. With one hand clasped tightly onto her Nintendo, she dashed for the door. _

_**Phone… Phone… where are you…?**_

_The corridor never seemed to end. She ran, occasionally clinging desperately to the deteriorating walls beside her for strength. It was only some seconds later that she noticed a bulge in her left pocket._

_**My phone? When did I put it there?**_

_But this was no time to think. She needed to escape this house. The smoke was heavy. The house was a chaos of red, orange, white, black and grey. It was hot. She couldn't breathe… and there was no door._

_**Door… Where is the door?**_

_She was desperate. Her lungs were scorched while her heart pounded heavily to a fast beat of a silent drum. When she didn't want to run any longer, a sudden brightness out shone the fire._

_Without a second thought, she lunged for the light, plunging herself through the fire and rubble that threw themselves at her. She didn't know what she was doing. She didn't know why she was doing it. All she knew was that everything would be okay._

_Thud. Thud-thud. Her heart responded frantically, her mind writhing in agony, in torture. It was__ an unworldly feeling of being sliced alive, as if someone had butchered every part of her body up into tiny, little pieces. As if her entire soul was on fire, scorching hot, but simultaneously icy cold -cold that sent shudders running through her core. _

_It was hell. It was like being hacked over and over again by an object that wasn't sharp enough to cut cleanly. She wanted to vomit. She wanted to scream. But nothing happened. There was only still, the trickling of her tears and the pain that overwhelmed her entirely. _

_When she had finally thought it was over, a painful distortion of pink and red hues exploded brilliantly and lingered, clouding her vision in strange blobs. It lingered for an eternity, yet so brief that it seemed to have disappeared within minutes. Darkness fell._

Her eyes snapped open to a sudden rush of cold air. She was falling.

A harsh scream tore from her dry throat when the gut-wrenching, yet familiar sensation overcame her. Her stomach wanted to regurgitate its last meal while her muscles twitched painfully. The feeling of weightlessness...

She couldn't comprehend her current situation at all. Was it still a dream? Was she still dreaming?

Pain exploded all over her back when she landed, her head smashing agonisingly onto something vaguely knobbly and firm, yet soft at the same time. Her heart pounded with adrenaline, each beat hammering upon it's cavity. Her paled face, still cold and wet with shed tears, gaped in shock as she lay there, stunned in the darkness.

She didn't know what she was doing. Hastily, she ran a shaking arm over the soft, knobbly material that she had apparently dropped on, her searching fingers prying over the smoothness and onto a softer thing. Something that felt vaguely like a...

A face.

Candice almost squeaked, scrambling off the knobbly thing in a frenzy, clambering across what felt like bed sheets and falling with a small screech onto a cold, tiled floor. Horror flooded into her heart as she wiped her hand almost desperately onto her pants, the sensations of what she had felt still present upon her fingers. Her body froze briefly as she watched with a mounted terror and curiosity. The darkness was heavy. But through the dim lights that strayed seemingly from a window, she watched, transfixed, as the humanoid shape rose, draping its shadow over everything.

Her body still throbbed angrily in pain. Her heart still thumped wildly as she took gulps of cold air to steady her nausea. But her stomach was unstable, churning horribly with the half-digested scraps of last night's dinner. There was the familiar urge to puke, even as she tried to swallow down the bile that rose to her throat. But her mouth was dry. There was no saliva to chug down the vomit that was threatening to gush from her lips.

Then the lights came on, blaring into her squinted eyes. At once, her panic escalated as she made out a human figure in the middle of an unfamiliar room. It was an unknown room with an unknown bed. She didn't recognise the plain blue bed-sheets. She didn't know anything of this strange, strange room. But...

Her nausea was horrible. The sensation ran through her body in drawn-out shudders, overwhelming her pain and panic by a long-shot. She felt utterly pained, like being pricked by a thousand needles. It was agony just to stand. She wanted to collapse to the floor. She wanted to give her body the rest it deserved. But the vomit just kept surfing up her oesophagus, forcing her to keep moving. Her stomach churned again, freezing her in a new kind of panic.

She needed a toilet. She needed something to vomit in.

At once, she staggered desperately towards the figure that stood in her view. In her hazy vision, she could make out a lean figure topped with blonde hair that gleamed slightly in the light. With her original fear washed away, she just didn't care anymore. She didn't care who the stranger was. She didn't care what gender he or she was. She didn't even care if he or she was to be trusted or not. She just wanted some place to puke in.

With her arms held out feebly, she continued to force her tired legs forward, swaying slightly. By the time she had crossed that few metre gap between them, it had felt like a day's walk in a desert. Her lips were dry and cracked. Her throat parched with the effort of forcing down the vomit that threatened to over flow from her lips.

Without hesitation, she placed her heavy arms onto the person's shoulders, leaning heavily. She needed to know where the bathroom was. Even through her hazy sickness, she was aware of the tenseness in the stranger as she gripped their firm shoulders. With half-lidded eyes, she stared into a warm brown, her stomach still grumbling unpleasantly. Her voice cracked into a croak.

"Give me…"

She trailed off and stopped to gulp down the horrible taste lingering at the base of her throat. But the more she swallowed, the more it rebelled against her.

"A place…uurgp"

There was a sudden lurch in her stomach. She couldn't stop as a tidal wave of vomit spewed from her mouth, the contents of her stomach emptying onto the figure in front of her, dripping to the ground in lumpy liquids. A bad smell filled the air.

"To puke…" She finished weakly, her fingers still gripping onto the stranger in front of her.

She didn't even look up.

* * *

**Hello! First things first and I thank you for clicking onto the first chapter :) **

**Anyways, this plot had been lingering around my mind for ages now so I decided to write it out! I really did try to write this to the best of my ability but I apologise if it isn't up to your standards. I know there are a lot of things I need to improve in so it would be nice if you could give some criticism :) In other words, could you drop a review? hehehe**

**And before I forget: I DO NOT OWN HUNTERXHUNTER. I just own the plot and my OC.**

**Now click onto the next chapter please! :D Hopefully, it would be better than the first :P**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It was dark outside.

A sour stench hung lazily, circulating the small room in large circles. Muffled sounds, large hacking coughs and faint sniffles could be heard, echoing slightly from a gap of a door left ajar. If someone were to peer into that gap, they would have seen a spectacular trail of puddled lumps and saliva along the tiled floor. At the end of that trail would have been a dark haired teenager, perhaps no older than sixteen, hunched gracelessly over a rimmed toilet bowl. From the way her fingers were gripping possessively at the cold plastic, anyone would have thought that she was guarding a precious treasure and unwilling to share.

The bathroom was dimly lit; a cramped space comprising of the necessities that all bathrooms consisted of: a sink, a shower compartment and a white toilet that the girl was currently slumped over, her body heaving as another litre of acid and half-digested materials was pumped up into her throat and out from her gaping mouth. The small braid that she had worked so hard on dangled limply at the base of her neck, its strands threatening to come undone once again. It wasn't too long, but still proved cumbersome when the girl had to flick it back every time it swished into the pathway of her vomit.

When the last drips had been spat out, the girl squeezed her eyes shut, blindly feeling for the roll of tissue paper before rubbing the material harshly across her lips and blowing her nose into it. The horrible taste still lingered at the back of her throat, tempting her stomach to lurch once more.

Her heart pounded. Like always, her fringe drifted over her eyes, irritating them when the stray strands poked into her eyes. Her body slumped over the toilet as she tried to control her breathing, her breaths tearing from her throat in uneven pants.

When she had finally regained her strength, her heart had calmed down somewhat. The ugly taste had resolved to a numbing bitterness while but her vision seemed to have cleared up. Yet even through this brief space of relief, she was struck by a sudden realization. Fear clouded her heart, grasping her beating heart in its icy clutches.

Where was she?

She didn't recognise this place. She didn't know where she was. She didn't even know how she got here. But from what she can manage to remember, she had been running in a fire. Wait, no. She had _dreamt_ running in a fire, but that doesn't explain how she was here. Maybe she had forgot that she was on a trip from home or something? But as much as she tried to wrack her brains, there was no recollection of going on any trip.

At this realisation, the small lump of fear grew into a large shard of ice that seemed to be lodged permanently in her stomach. There was no way that she could have ended up here when she clearly remembered going to bed last night in her own room, in own house. Her horror grew as her mind began to crowd with unwanted thoughts. Where was she? Where were her parents? Her sister? Were they worried about her? The prospect of everything was entirely overwhelming.

And who was the stranger? Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember the figure that was occupying this place. Blond hair. Brown eyes. None of that was recognisable. She didn't know. She just didn't know. And that frightened her a great deal.

But through her relished horror, she couldn't do anything but think as she continued to slump over the toilet, feigning sickness. The scent of toilet rose up to greet her, its annoying tendrils crawling up her nose. It wasn't a pleasant smell but she forced herself to remain in that position, her body frozen from the wave of fear that had seemed to engulfed her in its unbreakable grip.

Taking a deep breath, she tried a different approach. Was this a dream? Will she be waking up soon? But the pain and nausea had been so real. Everything was too clear to be a dream. Was she hallucinating? But that was near-impossible. She didn't do drugs and she was pretty damn sure that she hasn't contracted a disease. She had no reason to hallucinate.

It was then, a soft knock echoed into the cramped space, successfully interrupting her inward debate.

"Are you done?"

She flinched lightly at the voice. At first, it sounded feminine, soft and gentle in tone. Then after much analysis, it seemed a tad too deep to be a female. Was this person a male or a female? Personally, she was hoping it to be the latter.

Yet simultaneously, a fresh wave of guilt and hilarity coursed through her. Guilt for vomiting on a stranger, hilarity for the action she had done. When she had first comprehended her actions, she had almost burst out into soft giggles of amusement. Only the guilt had held her back in its heavy weight.

A faint hint of a smirk curled over her lips. She hadn't gotten a chance to apologise yet. Was the figure expecting an apology? But from his/her reaction, it almost seemed like she was forgiven already. But again maybe not.

The stranger's reaction wasn't an over-exaggerated show of disgust, but rather a mature approach. From what she could remember, the figure had merely tensed and pushed her away with a controlled amount of force, then proceeded to direct her by the shoulders into a small tiled room, to which she had come to know as an excellent puking companion. In the spur of the moment though, she hadn't managed to take anything in with detail. All she remembered were a blur of colours, shapes and ragged outlines.

Leaning slightly, she stumbled to her feet before smoothing down her fringe and running her fingers through the braid that she had spent so much time on. With one swipe, she tugged at her hair, and with slow fingers, tied it up into her usual ponytail before glancing hopelessly around the bathroom, reluctant to part from what she considered as a temporary sanctuary. But there was nothing rooting her to the toilet anymore. There was no excuse to avoid the inevitable.

"Y-yeah." She stuttered in response, partially in fear, worry and curiosity. She needed to find out where she was. She needed to find out how to get home. And she wanted to know what gender the voice belonged to.

_Please be a girl._ She thought wishfully. She almost tripped over an invisible step.

As if in a trance, her legs carried her across to the door in two strides, carefully avoiding the trails of her own vomit. Her hands touched the wooden doorknob hesitantly before prying it ajar, observing warily when light streamed from the other room and into her space. A cold breeze blew into her face.

At once, she noticed the open window, frowning when she realised that it was dark outside. Was it still night time? But before she could ponder, a horrible scent drew her attention to a small puddle of vomit, a few metres away from her. Cringing, she tore her gaze away only to examine the rest of the room.

It wasn't much. There was a single bed, some chairs strewn around, a table and few windows. Immediately, her eyes landed on the lone figure occupying the room. It was only when she took a cautious step forward that the stranger turned towards her, his/her gaze guarded yet curious.

The person looked young, probably not much older than her. She still couldn't decide the gender, but judging from the small lump on the base of his throat, he was a male. But when she took a glance at his face, in all honestly, she could have so easily mistaken him for a female. The shapes of his eyes were large and somewhat childish at first glance and his lips were rather distinctive. But the one thing that she couldn't draw her attention away from had to be his blonde hair.

It was almost unnaturally yellow, no it was completely yellow. Was it dyed? Yet despite its unnatural colour, it somehow seemed to suit him. Very well in fact. It looked completely natural on him. But that wasn't the only reason why she couldn't seem to stop staring.

His blonde hair was rather long, creeping over the back of his neck, with what looked like bangs that framed his face. Her gaze lingered longingly on the soft strands that seemed to fall perfectly at every tiny movement. Some clumped together fashionably while others were loose and splayed perfectly over his forehead. In her terms, it was like anime-hair come to life. In one word, she could describe his hair as beautiful. Sighing inwardly, she tried to make a mental note: _Ask him where he cuts his hair._

But before she could continue admiring his hair, the boy spoke in that feminine tone, effectively jolting her out from her hair crazed madness.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" His voice was soft with a hint of suspicion.

When she didn't answer, his gaze hardened.

"I don't know who you are or how you got in here, but you should leave after you're done" He spoke evenly in a controlled manner. "Your parents are probably looking for you."

She cringed inwardly at his last line. As her gaze drifted from his oh-so-perfect blonde hair back to his face, she felt a sudden jolt of familiarity, like she had seen him before. His skin was practically flawless, slightly pale though it was probably his natural skin tone. She was sure that she didn't know him but her consciousness seemed to be debating against her.

"I…" Her eyebrows furrowed into a frown as she tried to collect her thoughts. "I don't' know where I am." She winced inwardly at the panic that was beginning to appear in her voice as she blurted out her words. "Where is this place?"

He shot her what seemed to be a contemplating look. "Whale island," He spoke after a pause. "You are on Whale island."

At once she was confused and a tad suspicious. Was this a joke? Cause she wasn't finding it very funny. "Whale Island?" She repeated. "No, seriously. I know I am lost but I'm not that lost to believe you." Her courage continued to increase as she spoke. "Are we in Sydney? Where are we in Sydney?"

The response she received was a raised eyebrow and a surprised glance. "Sydney?" He repeated much like her, before reaching out for what seemed to be clothing, neatly folded into a square. In a blink of an eye, he released it from its folded state with a blue flourish and in another heartbeat; he had tugged it onto one shoulder and then secured it on his other shoulder. When he had donned the piece of blue cloth, he smoothed it down before straightening up.

It was then she began to recognise the attire that he had just donned. She didn't know what it was called, but the cloth was rather like the bibs that she was forced to wear at school, only that it lengthened out to his knees like a skirt. While it was a deep blue in colour, there were also thick lines of red that outlined the edges and seemed to form an inconsistent pattern of lines. At his neck was a small bow, also in the same red hue.

Her eyes widened when it came to her. That outfit. That hair. It was so _bloody_ obvious. How could she _not_ have realised? And she called herself an anime fan.

Wiping away inward tears of depression, she almost stuttered in her sudden excitement. "Are you…?" She trailed off, nudging the person silently with glazed eyes.

To her confusion, she only received a puzzled look and a challenging threat from his eyes.

"Cosplaying?" She finished on a hopeful note.

As she waited for his response, she couldn't help but mentally punch herself again and again. It was so bloody obvious. She should have gotten the hint when she had noticed the hair. Heck, it was probably a wig, styled with hairspray to stay in form.

The outfit was also made really well. From what she can see, she was pretty sure that it would win in any competition. It looked so natural, unlike other cosplay uniforms that looked too new or too bright. She didn't have any critique. Maybe it was because of the fact that it was so near perfect or because of the fact that she wasn't a big fan of cosplay.

But things started to fall apart when the Kurapika cosplayer stared at her with a frown, repeating what ambiguously sounded like a question. She wasn't listening. At his second glance of confusion, her mind had already tuned out and seemingly fallen apart as she realised her situation. Even if he was a cosplayer, it still didn't answer how she had ended up in this place. It still didn't answer where she was.

Tears pricked at her eyes. No! She refused to cry. But the panic and worry was overwhelming her. Where was she? She wanted to go home, to lie down on her own bed, not standing limply in an unknown place with a cosplayer that she didn't know.

The tears began to build up. Without another moment of hesitation, she turned around, vaguely remembering a phrase. _Don't turn your back to an opponent._ Too late for that. She turned away from the stranger and faced the wall. She didn't dare squeeze her eyes shut for fear of her tears falling out. Instead, she clamped her hands over her ears, her eyes wide, taking deep breaths and silently willing the traitorous liquid away from her eyes.

She didn't know what to do anymore. She didn't know what to think. She just wanted to go home. Back to her parents, to her sister. Despair was beginning to cloud her heart. She didn't want to think anymore.

_Help me._

But there was nothing here. A miracle won't suddenly appear. Help won't come for her. This was reality. This was life.

_And life isn't an anime._

Panicking, on the verge of tears, she smiled grimly at her choice of words. Reality wasn't perfect and she knew it. She knew that she would never live an anime life, a life of adventure, romance, happiness and sadness.

She wasn't expecting to. She knew the world that she lived in was a cruel world, where harsh realities reign above them. And it is from this that she knew she was on her own. No help will come to hold her up. No comfort will come to support her.

She knew all this. But she couldn't help but hope and to hold onto that hope that she'll get out of this situation and back to her family. Her family… What if she never saw them again? What if... what if…?

Her jumbled thoughts only caused the welling of liquid in her eyes to increase, destroying her past attempts to force them back. This was ridiculous… She knew she was exaggerating. But she couldn't help it. She really couldn't help it.

"Crying is not a weakness."

She startled. She had almost forgotten the other person in the room. Hunching her shoulders, she refused to allow the soft feminine tone to wash over her. Instead, her stubbornness activated. She didn't know why she was so defiant, but with that phrase, she felt her temper peak slightly. How many times has she heard that phrase? How many times have people told her that crying was a sign of strength, a sign of acceptance?

Her fingers clenched and unclenched. There was one other thing that was annoying her. The boy's voice seemed to have softened slightly in contrast to the guarded voice he had before. Did she really seem so weak that he had temporarily dismissed her as a threat? Her fingers clenched once more, her nails digging painfully into her palm.

She was being irrational, this she knew. She knew she had over analysed the five words. The person was probably only trying to be helpful, maybe even attempt to comfort her? But she felt no comfort in knowing this. It didn't take a genius to realize that he pitied her. Her fist clenched tighter, forming a distinct red and white flush, where the blood was cut off from reaching their destination. She hated to be pitied. It was such a big blow to her pride.

And so, her determination not to cry spiked considerably. Tilting her head back slightly, she carefully fluttered her eyelids over her eyes, and waited, careful not to spill. It felt like forever, her attempting to erase all traces of thoughts from her mind.

_Calm._ She thought deliberately. She imagined a body of still water. She imagined that body of water slowly transmuting to a body of cloudy ice. A smile tugged at her lips when an imaginary hammer smashed into that ice, destroying it into tiny little fragments.

There was no doubt that it was working. Slowly, she could feel her tears recede, drying gradually. It seemed like an eternity. When her eyes finally blinked open, she was once again startled (and a tad embarrassed) when she realised that the boy still stood in the same spot. Her eyes widened at his hazel gaze. Had he been observing her the whole time?

"You didn't cry." He stated simply, a slight gleam of curiosity in his eyes

She only glared at his comment, settling her eyes on his chin when she couldn't bring herself to glare at his hair. Was he underestimating her? Had she been underestimated? The slight peak of her anger fuelled her courage.

"I didn't need to." She answered back as evenly as she can. She didn't know what to think of this scenario anymore. She was in an unknown room, with no knowledge of how she had come to be. There was a Kurapika cosplayer… the one thing that didn't fit in to the entire set. Obviously, it wasn't a kidnapping… but there could always be a possibility…

But why was there a Kurapika cosplayer here. And why did he joke around with her? Whale Island… pfft… she could almost laugh if she wasn't so tense. If he had said anything else like Queensland or something then she would have humoured him slightly but seriously…? Whale Island? That guy sure had a great imagination.

But the main answer that she wanted still eluded her. Why he was in cosplay? There weren't any events as far as she knew. But regardless of the reason, it wouldn't change the small amount of respect that she had for him. Not everyone could pull off a perfect imitation, and not everyone could pull the look off while looking completely natural, like they had stepped out from the anime itself. Frowning slightly, she wondered briefly if he would let her wear his wig some time before focusing back to the silent boy in front of her. A soft frown marred his features while he seemed to be deep in thought.

After a short silence, she grew restless. The silence was killing her. The awkwardness was killing her. Before her brain could contemplate what she was doing, she had already blurted out her question. It was one that had been simmering the curiosity in her for quite some time. "Why are you in cosplay?"

"Cosplay?" He asked, his brown eyes focusing intently on hers. It was quite intimidating really. "What is that?"

"Cosplay. You know? Dressing up as a character from anime or something...?" Candice frowned at his apparent interest. Did he really not know what he was doing? "Like how you're cosplaying Kurapika right now."

His gaze hardened noticeably from her words. He almost hissed. "How do you know my name?" His eyes narrowed slightly, as if challenging her to answer.

Unconsciously, Candice took a step back, swallowing as an unfamiliar emotion came to pass through her mind. Vaguely, she remembered the emotion as nervousness, but her pride was too big for her to admit that.

"umm…" She didn't know what to do in this scenario. Wasn't she the one supposed to ask questions? "Y-your acting is really great but…" She faltered as she fumbled for words, wincing at the slight stutter in her words. "Could you please drop the act?" She paused slightly to gouge his reaction. "I don't know how I got here, I don't know where I am, so if you would just please tell me where I am so I can get home?" Her voice strengthened considerably at the end, her courage building once more.

It was after a moment's contemplation that he spoke again. "Where is your home?" He asked simply.

"Li-" She suddenly cut herself off, highly disturbed that she had almost given her address to a stranger. "Tell me where I am first." Her voice spoke confidently, her posture straight, head tilted slightly as if trying to intimidate the stranger in front of her. But behind that posture and voice was a girl struggling desperately to keep up with her bluff.

"As I have already said, you are on Whale Island."

"And I've already said that I didn't believe you." Candice smirked inwardly at her quick comeback, proud of herself to have kept her cool.

"Then look outside."

He threw a lean arm to the open window on his right, successfully diverting her attention to the window. Almost instantly, her barrier dropped with a virtual crash. Gasping silently, she punched herself inwardly for not realizing earlier that the sun had already risen. Soft streams of light shone through the window, splashing puddles of brightness over the tiled floor. It was dawn. She must have missed the sunrise some time when she was panicking.

Reluctantly, she inched towards the window, her hand held limply in front of her. From what she could tell, the room that they were in was situated on a rather high building. Below, she could make out a few houses, a few shops, a dusty road and a _lot_ of greenery. Nothing was familiar. Her mouth gaped open in surprise when she noticed the crowds of people walking to and fro, some scurrying like ants. Their clothing was unlike the ones she was familiar with. Instead it was more of an old-fashioned style of dress. Heart pounding, she watched as a shopkeeper and a couple exchange what seemed like strange notes for a bag of good apples. In another area, she could see an open store selling what seemed to be gleaming daggers and silver gourds that shone whitely in the sun. The shopkeeper was shouting loudly, in slang that she was unfamiliar with.

Her body began to freeze. Was she in a different country? No, that would be impossible. Even by the fastest plane, it would take more than a night to arrive. Also, how would she have gotten pass the security and guards while asleep? It was ridiculous. Robotically, she turned back to face the blonde haired boy with a shaky smile, flinching slightly when he made to close a bit of distance between them.

"You're not from around here, aren't you?" He questioned. "What is your name?"

Candice narrowed her eyes, her hand placed unconsciously on her heart. Her panic was rising again… and she thought she had killed it off earlier. "What is yours?" She hissed determinedly. Her sister had taught her after all, to never give her name so easily to strangers.

"My name is Kurapika. And yours?" He gestured towards her.

_Kurapika..._ She snorted in disbelief. _As if!_

"I told you." She shook her head, her tone reprimanding, trying to take his attention away from her panicked state. "Drop the act already."

Blinking once, she felt almost miserable when she happened to glance at his blonde locks… his perfect blonde locks that were currently gleaming beautifully in a patch of sunlight. "And take off your wig," she demanded. "I'm finding it hard to glare at you when you have such a nice wig on."

There was a slight heartbeat of a pause. The boy seemed to startle, his brown eyes wide with what seemed like shock, confusion and the tiniest hint of horror. His mouth opened and closed wordlessly before he gathered his words. "It is not a wig." He somehow managed to even his tone, combing his fingers through his blonde locks in defence.

"Really? It isn't?" Candice managed a raise eyebrow, finding a sort of dry hilarity in his reaction. But despite her assured accusation, she found her resolve swaying.

_No!_ She yelled inwardly at herself. _He's just a good actor, that's all! His hair really is a wig!_

Her gaze drifted along the distance between them, then at his hair before eying the space again. Without warning, she bolted towards the boy with a speed that would make a cheetah proud. Quickly, she snuck her hand into his hair, gripping onto the yellow strands before he could swipe her away. The hair was soft and loose, unlike the heavily gelled hair that she had been expecting. Pausing slightly, a grim smile ghosted across her features before she twisted her fingers into his blonde locks. In one strong tug, she pulled at his hair, paling the slightest tint when it didn't come off as it should have.

There was then, only one word on her mind.

_Crap._

* * *

**Hello again :D I need to tell you something :)**

**I want to let you know that this fanfic will follow the 2011 HunterxHunter anime plot. I know, I know, it's boring to keep reading the same plot all over again so I'll try not to mimic everything. Instead, I will skip most of the stuff and only focus on the important scenes that I'm using for this fanfic. And of course I will have my own original scenes that I will make up myself so it won't be pure anime plot all the way through.**

**And of course, to the lovely people who have taken the time to review my fic, I wholeheartedly give my thanks :) They really inspired me to update.**

**By the way, this chapter was originally separate chapters 2 and 3, but I merged them together :)**

**Er... one more thing? Please feel welcome to criticize! The more criticism, the more I may be able to improve! So drop a review will ya? **

**And once again, please proceed to the next chapter! Thankyou!**


	3. Chapter 3

_It is official. I am hallucinating. _

The area was a perfect landscape of green and brown shades. In the midst of it, laid a dusty road, its sides decorated lavishly with vegetation. Shrubbery grew, their leafy limbs waving limply in the breeze. Vines curled intricately along rough surfaces, slithering up thick brown trunks and the gentle trees drifted to a silent rhythm above.

The air was filled with the soft scents of floral fragrances tinged with the strong stench of musky wood. Unseen cicadas played their strange buzzing music, accompanied by the sweet melodies of chirping birds. It seemed almost perfect, with the exception of the morning sun that scorched from above. It bore little mercy, raging itself upon the two travellers walking the path that day.

A dark-haired girl scratched unnecessarily at the back of her neck, flicking her fringe from her eyes. Her freckled cheeks burned under the gaze of the sun while a thin coat of sweat glistened on the bridge of her nose. Her legs strained, the unused leg muscles protesting numbly as she walked. Some consciousness laughed at her, telling her she would have sore muscles the day after. Beads of sweat rolled a steady path down her forehead while her breaths came out in small huffs. There was a crick in her shoulder, one that she itched to relieve and an itch on her arm which she scratched forlornly to the rhythm of her steps.

Beside her was Kura- no, the Kurapika _cosplayer_, his brisk steps corresponding to hers. A curtain of blonde strands hid his features from view, his outfit swaying in the soft breeze.

Candice scowled at it, her lips parting to release an unconvincing sigh.

The two had been walking for what seemed like an hour now. To where, she didn't know. She didn't know where she was going. She didn't even know where she was or what fate had in store for her. For the time being, all she could rely on was trust. Trust for Kurapi- no, the Kurapika _cosplayer_ beside her.

But trust wasn't the only thing on her mind. She didn't know the mix of emotions that was pouring through her, soaking her to the bone. Happiness, sadness, worry, fear, excitement, confusion, curiosity, guilt…. They were all blended into one undefinable lump in her stomach, knitted together so tightly that it was difficult to pick them apart.

After all, it wasn't everyday she had woken up in an unfamiliar place, in the presence of Kurapika- no a Kurapika _cosplayer _and had not the slightest idea how she was going to get back home. Nothing made any sense and the small theory that did was dismissed without a second thought. She refused to believe her consciousness. She refused to believe it: the ridiculous notion that she had, by some method, fallen into an anime. Specifically, the HunterxHunter anime.

The idea was ridiculous. Sure, she had wished every now and then to fall into an anime but things were just not possible. Laws and physics would no doubt be broken. It was impossible. If she had really fallen into the anime then she would have to be drawn onto paper through the artist's imagination as manga first. But... if this really was an anime, did it mean that she didn't exist anymore in her own world? Did it mean that she had been erased from reality? No… no… It was impossible, impossible, impossible…

But was there any other theory? Kurapi- no the Kurapika _cosplayer_ had even shown her the map of his world. It was a completely different world altogether! It was preposterous! She was definitely hallucinating, or at the very least dreaming.

_Yes. I'm hallucinating. None of this is real. __**None of it.**_

She sighed once more at her inward debate. Her consciousness kept screaming at her to accept it. All the things she saw, what she felt, all evidence pointed to it in bright flashing signs. Still, she refused to believe it. She wasn't a little girl anymore. There were just no such things. But as much as she hated to admit, there really was no other explanation.

_Oh, who am I kidding? _She screeched mentally, her outward features contorting into a grimace. _There's no difference whichever way you look at things. There is no other explanation. I really have fallen into an a-_

She cut herself off, refusing to think anymore. Everything seemed so surreal. A scowl etched itself onto her face when irritation fell into her list of raging emotions. She had already accepted the fact that she was in a different world. She had already accepted the possibility that she'll never see her family again. She had already accepted her doom. Why, oh why couldn't she just accept that this different world was an anime?

The hours trickled at a snail's pace. Again, she wondered, where they were going. _Whale Island…_ As much as she tried racking her brains, she couldn't remember its place in the HunterxHunter anime. Where was she? Where were they going? Did this world even follow the anime plot?

_Crap._ Did she just admit that she was an anime? Cursing inwardly, she tried not to think so much. Thinking didn't give her anything to reap. It only took a toll, the toll taken in the form of a minor headache. She groaned inaudibly. Instead of fighting mentally, she should be fighting physically. She needed to act. Anything would do. The silence wasn't doing her much good either.

Her mouth felt sealed from the lack of use, her throat dry and croaky. Wetting her lips, she attempted to talk, to break the silence. She wanted- no, needed to talk. She needed to know where she was going. She needed to clear her head. She needed answers to her questions. But most of all, she needed to find a way home.

"K-kura…pika." His name rolled shakily from her tongue, ending in a slight question-like tone. There was a small accent she was unfamiliar with. "Kurapika."

She earned a quick gaze.

"Where are we going?" Her hand drifted automatically to the back of her neck, scratching unnecessarily.

"To the main port." He replied simply. His outfit swayed as he walked, its deep blueness rippling like dark water.

Candice frowned at the blue material, her brain attempting to arrange her unstable thoughts. "This is Whale Island, yeah?"

"Yeah." He turned away abruptly.

Candice scowled, glaring half-heartedly at his shoulders. A random thought echoed into her mind, amidst her jumbled thoughts.

_Irritation is an irritating emotion._ She chuckled dryly to her own lame humour while the sun continued to bear down on her, its fiery rays rubbing against her exposed skin. It was hot. Sweat coated her forehead, some rolling down her nose in thick droplets. Her headache was a numbing buzz in her consciousness.

_Main port…_ _Whale Island…_ Another feeling clouded her stomach, weighing it down as she tried to think. She didn't recognise any of those. _Main port… Whale Island…_ The words repeated themselves in her mind. But she couldn't remember anything. She couldn't recall any particular detailing from the anime. She just couldn't.

A dry laugh crept into her throat. Of course she wouldn't have remembered. After all, she had practically sat in front of her laptop for two days straight, skimming through the anime and finishing all episodes. It wasn't her fault. She just wasn't a very large fan of HunterxHunter. She had just found the anime interesting enough to watch, but she hadn't liked it enough to become a fan of the anime, hence her skimming episodes.

But as she contemplated, she found herself remembering the many fanfictions she had read. Good ones… average ones… There were about a fraction of them that told of original characters falling into their desired animes. In fact, there had been a particularly good one based on One Piece* where an anime-crazed fan was tossed into her favourite anime. But most of them, regardless of their quality, included the ONE rule that original characters never broke. It was the ONE rule that all original characters followed without question. It was THE rule for any oc.

'Do not, under any circumstances, kill the plot.'

She had read enough of those to realise the logical thinking behind it. If she spoiled the plot, then she wouldn't be warned beforehand. Everything that she encounters would then be completely unexpected. There would have then been a greater risk of dying, or facing an unfortunate situation. So she knew that she needed to restrict her actions and to choose her words wisely. One wrong move, just one, and she could spoil the entire plot… assuming that this world followed the anime plot.

"So…" She swallowed noiselessly. "What are we heading there for?" _Awkwardness…_ Her voice sounded so uncertain and hopeless in contrast to the strong, blunt voice that she had imagined. For several timeless moments, she didn't know what was causing it… and then it hit her, the sudden realisation that clashed horribly with her ego.

Fear. It was fear that was currently infiltrating her voice-box. S_he was afraid of how he would respond. _

Honestly, she didn't know his personality. She didn't know him at all. The only pieces of information she knew was of his past, his ruthless nature for revenge of his clan and his apparent intelligence. Oh, and the fact that his eyes glowed a supposedly beautiful scarlet when emotional.

She was worried. What if he tried to force her away? How would she respond? How _should _she respond? After all, he had no obligation to carry a burden around. Heck, he had his own revenge to worry about. He had no time for her.

But, in this world, she had no one to rely on except for him. All hopes of her ever returning to her own world would be crushed if he ever ditched her. She would never then be able to return home. She would be stuck in a world, with no connections, with no joy, only surviving every day in an emotionless body…

All of a sudden, she was drawn back to reality by a feminine tone, its sharp, yet soothing pitch resounding in her mind. Her legs continued to strain as she walked, throwing a side-ways glance at the blonde teenager beside her.

"I will be boarding a ship there." He spoke and spared her a strange glance.

Candice ignored his glance. Instead, she gasped softly when a bar of knowledge struck her squarely at the back of her head at his words. _Ship…_ Of course! Why didn't she think of it earlier? Whale Island was the _very _first place mentioned in the anime. At her realisation, she felt the sudden urge to bang her head against something flat. Like a wall, for example. How could she have forgotten? Why? Remind her. Why was she so stupid? It had been so obvious. So, so obvious. Plain as day. It had been so obvious that it wasn't funny.

"You're taking the Hunter Exam." Candice stated, jerking her head to face him, her eyes scanning his. "Right?"

"For someone from a different world," He began, his voice lingering. "You seem very knowledgeable." He shot her a calculating look and a raised eyebrow, stopping abruptly in his tracks.

A sudden wind blew.

Candice flinched at his implication as she too, stilled the movements of her legs. From where she stood, Kurapika seemed intimidating, his blonde hair and outfit blowing impressively with the wind. A shiver ran down her back. Though the sun was hot, the wind that blew felt cold and empty. Her eyes widened.

"Yeah. I… I just…" She fumbled for the right words, faltering slightly in her speech. "I just…" She paused again, a snappish phrase lingering on her tongue. "It's… It's none of your business." She snapped irrationally. Almost immediately, she cringed, wanting to erase her last words. But the damage was done. Reluctantly, she snuck a glance to the blonde.

Kurapika seemed unfazed. "It became my business the moment you started following me. If you don't want to cooperate, then go travel by yourself."

Candice flinched again. _Ouch. Ok. That was just a little too mean._ She glared as she turned away from his prying gaze, determined to ignore his last statement. "How do you enrol as a participant of the Hunter Exam?" She asked, avoiding the issue at hand.

"And how long do you plan to follow me around?" He countered sharply, bringing the topic back without difficulty.

She tensed. _Crap._

"A long time." She spoke simply, some parts of her hoping he wouldn't turn her away.

"Define, a long time."

She glared. "Until I get back to my own world-"

"So you think," He cut her off. "That following me would help you reach your goal?" His brown eyes seemed to provoke her, challenging her silently.

She took a breath, refusing to look away. "Basically, yes."

There was a silence. Even the buzzing cicadas had gone still. But Candice didn't notice. She just kept staring, narrowing her gaze into a glare every now and then. It was a staring contest, her only fuel being her pride. Her eyes watered slightly but she refused to blink. Her pride was riding on this contest. There was no way she was going to lose without a fight.

Then to her triumph and confusion, he looked away. For a moment, it looked like he was going to say something else, but he only continued to walk pass her, his golden strands swaying in the soft breeze.

"H-hey!" Candice cried out indignantly. "What the heck is your problem?"

He ignored her.

Grumbling, she picked up her speed again, walking briskly at a fast pace. She refused to run; her pride wouldn't allow her to. But as she strode, her mind became clouded with confusion. Why? Why was he so… distrusting and cut off from her? Her, specifically. As far as she could remember, he had befriended Gon and the others so very easily. Why? Why was it that she was the only one having a hard time? Why? Why? Why?

But she knew. She knew that she wasn't all that great at making friends, despite her efforts. She knew that. That was why she always treasured the few friends that she had ever managed to make. She chuckled dryly. Who knew that her horrible friendship luck would carry on to this world?

She sighed briefly. Maybe it was because she yanked his hair. Of course! Maybe he was still mad that she had pulled on his hair without permission. But she had already apologised. Heck, she had ignored her pride and apologised several times. What else did he want her to do? Get on her hands and knees to beg? Hell no!

Mumbling inaudible curses, she caught up to him in two large steps. Awkwardly, she had tried to peer at his expressions, sending him side glances every now and then. But it was futile. His long curtain of blonde hair framed his features well, acting as a well-kept barrier.

A frown lingered when he turned away from her prying gaze. A tiny hint of guilt dropped into her stomach. Maybe she should apologise again…? Just in case he still held a grudge against her for pulling his hair. Without much hesitation, she gritted her teeth, preparing to swallow her pride once more. She owed him at least that.

"Look," She frowned again when he refused to look at her. "If you're still mad about me pulling your hair… um… I really didn't mean to pull your hair like that. I'm sorry. I really thought it was a wig."

There was a pause. An incredibly awkward silence overcame her when the blonde didn't respond. Instead, he kept striding forward as if he hadn't heard her. Anger began to blend with her guilt and awkwardness, forcing her carefully placed neutral expression into a small glare. She hated this. This feeling... It was downright humiliating.

"I know I was out of line." She tried to keep her voice even, scowling when he still didn't answer. "I won't do it again."

There was another awkward pause. It was only after several moments, to Candice's dismay, that he finally spoke.

"I already said it was okay." He answered with a tone of finality. As if to punctuate his point, he strode ahead in silence.

Her heart rippled in humiliation. Some part of her was screaming at him, wanting to strangle him half to death. She didn't know if he was doing it on purpose or not. But she did know that, if they were to be travelling together, or rather, her following him along, then they needed to co-operate.

But she couldn't judge. After all, what she did was unacceptable. She didn't even know what had possessed her to pull his hair like that. It had just been a spur of the moment thing. Shame… humiliation… They rushed at her, almost toppling her over in their wake. But her determination shone through. There was _no_ way he was going to get another apology from her. No chance in hell. With that thought in mind, she decided to change the topic. In another two strides, she caught up to him yet again, her heart wavering in anticipation.

"So…" She licked her dry lips. "I can travel with you… right?" Her question hung limply, some part of her dreading his answer.

"I doubt you'll be able to keep up." There was a hint of a smirk on his face.

Candice ignored his comment. Instead, her heart breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll take that as a yes then." She straightened up, walking with a little skip in each step. A huge weight had been lifted off her chest at his answer, its relief flooding through her like the release of a dam.

It was then that she realised that she hadn't properly introduced herself yet. "Oh, by the way Kurapika," She spoke casually. "Sorry for not introducing myself before. My name's Candice. No nicknames, just Candice." She attempted to smile warmly, as if she was greeting an old friend.

"I already knew that."

Candice only continued to smile, her mind having not taken in his phrase yet. "That's okay, w-" She stopped in mid-speech, her body tensing. Wait…

It took a while to sink in. Then her mind was submerged into a chaotic confusion. _How the hell would he know my name?_ Her eyes widened. As far as she could remember, she hadn't even introduced herself yet.

"How do you know my name?" She gasped out.

Kurapika only smirked slightly, his hand digging into the small side bag that he carried around. Her eyes widened when he pulled out two objects. Two shiny black objects. Two shiny black devices to be precise. The flatter of the two had her name written out in large letters across its cover.

"I believe these devices are yours?" He questioned, his smirk still held in place.

But before he had even finished his words, Candice had already lunged for them, her hand grappling thin air when the blonde dodged her attack with ease.

"They're mine!" She gasped out irrationally, lunging for them once more.

He dropped them into her waiting palms. "Interesting technology. I believe one is a phone?"

"Yeah." A large smile unfurled over her lips as she cradled the devices, swiping her fingers across the smooth surfaces. With a swipe of her finger, her phone burst into life, its familiar anime wallpaper spreading out over the screen. "Where did you get them?"

"I found them." He replied simply, an eyebrow rose.

Candice didn't bother questioning. She was too busy admiring her Nintendo, brushing her fingers over the small scratches that adorned its sleek cover. She continued to gaze at it, stopping in her tracks completely to flip the cover, turning the device on. She smiled when the familiar background of her R4 popped onto the screen.

Tears began to build up. Her heart ached. She missed her home so much. She missed her family so much. Seeing her Nintendo only reminded her of her older sister back at home, probably busy worrying about her whereabouts. Oh, she missed her so much.

A knot began building up once more in her chest, corresponding to her renewed distress. It was scary, knowing that she'll probably never see her parents again, knowing that she'll probably never see her sister again. She had thought that she had dismissed that concern already, but it was only now that she realised the full extent of her situation, the full agony of being taken away from everything that she loved.

Then she shook her head abruptly. What's done was done. No matter how much she reflects and cries over it, time won't reverse for her. So she shouldn't cry. Crying would only bring about a red nose and bloodshot eyes. It would only bring more pain. So she won't cry. Not ever… not until she is safely back in her sister's embrace. Her mouth stretched into a grim line. Yes. She would only cry when she reaches home. But then the tears that fall will not be of pain and anguish. It will then be of happiness and relief.

And with her self-promise and resolve, she pocketed her devices, zipping up her pockets so that she'll never lose them. With another smile, she thanked her lucky fortune that she was wearing a long coat with wide pockets. If she hadn't been, there would have been no way that her Nintendo would have fit.

And so, she flashed a genuine smile to the blonde before continuing forward once again along the road with no end. Unknown to her, the blonde smiled back, walking along with her as they continued on with their journey. *

* * *

**Once again thanks for reading :) **

**Two things:**

*** I don't own One Piece.**

*** Hahaha, the ending remind you of Pokémon?**

**Editor: Kunoich79 **

**And that's all I have to say! Now please continue onto the next chapter will you please! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

It was still morning. The perfect streets were filled with the quiet buzz of business, its pathways strewn with life while the sun continued on with its mission, scorching its dwellers from above.

A dark-haired girl cursed inwardly at it, fanning herself every now and then with a weary hand that flopped uselessly against the heat. Her dark fringe fell over one eye as she travelled, her smattered freckles visible over the bridge of her nose. Brown, grey-flecked eyes glittered in admiration, staring longingly at the buildings and few people that passed her by.

_Another_ _perfect anime landscape. _Candice thought almost resignedly, glancing around in reluctant awe.

Smooth white pavement unfolded before her at every step, its surface a dusty hue that shone in the sun. Neat lines of housing stood like guards in strict formations while various shops and stalls sold their wares along the street, some yelling out their sales enthusiastically. The few people that passed her by bustled quietly in their own busy way, some with welcoming smiles and large grins that seemed too large for their faces. Like most unimportant characters of the anime, they were plain and ordinary, dressed in shaded colours. Nothing about them stood out.

Candice couldn't help but smile widely as she noted them. Really, it was contagious.

Everything seemed so perfect. Along the streets was everything that would complete the perfect stereotypical town. From what she had noted so far, there had been a lady hanging out her washing; happy families and friends were greeting each other in the streets and men kissing their wives goodbye. Heck, even the _ants_ seemed happy as they scurried about franticly, their bodies distinguishable against the white pavement.

She glanced around again, trying hard not to be impressed. It was honestly the most flawless town she had ever encountered. Everything and everyone pedantically placed in their unnaturally perfect roles. Oh wait… She backtracked. Maybe it _could_ be considered unnatural.

A trickle of sweat rolled down her neck as she continued on forward, her steps in tandem with the male beside her. Inwardly, she once again cursed the sun above, flicking away the strands of hair that hindered her view. A disgusted scowl made its way across her face when she swept a palm quickly over her neck, cringing at the layer of sweat that fell away with it.

Candice breathed out another unconvincing sigh as she suppressed the urge to roll up her long sleeves. It was hot. It was completely uncomfortable to be walking in the heat, yet she forced herself to continue on, her pride overtaking her natural urges to rest. A coat of sweat had already soaked the back of her singlet, yet she refused to take off her long –yet thankfully rather thin- coat. Instead, she left it open at the front, displaying a grey long-sleeved shirt underneath, its middle splashed with a crimson pattern.

Her jeans stretched uncomfortably as she walked, its sweat absorbent material clinging unpleasantly to her skin. Its tightness was a bother, restricting her movements and prohibiting her urges to stretch. Her legs had long since adjusted to the long hours of walking; their straining protests no longer forefront in her mind, but regardless, they still ached intensely. She desperately wanted to sit down, but resting was not an option; they were almost there anyways. The port was just on the other side of town. They would be there in no time.

Another neat row of housing met her curious gazes as she and the blonde teenager rounded another corner, turning into yet another street that seemed identical to the last. It was in this particular street that Candice noticed a little girl run pass her, her giggles melodious in the light breeze. Her pigtails bounced merrily as she laughed, their ends bunched together into twin pink ribbons, streaming along. A joyous smile was present on her face.

Candice sighed at the landscape, her heart fluttering at the sight of the little girl in her frontal view. She appeared so innocent and carefree, so naïve and honest. She couldn't help the smile that unfurled over her face when the child leapt into the arms of a bulky man, who Candice presumed to be her father. Her smile was wide, giggling happily as she was lifted up into the air and spun around with strong arms.

It seemed so perfect, no. It _was_ perfect. Her smile dropped slightly as she reluctantly tore her stare away, reminding herself that it was rude to stare. The weight in her stomach seemed to grow while her distress reappeared once again to hang heavily upon her heart. The lump of distress and frustration only grew larger, its emotional density so complex that she couldn't describe properly in words. It was so painful to watch someone relish something that she had just lost, stolen from her in a strange twist of fate. Presumably lost, anyway.

It was painful. It felt so painful yet she didn't know where it was originating from. She wanted so much to distract her mind from the emotional pain that she had considered physical pain. But then that would be considered insanity on her part. So the only option left was to ignore it and force it away somehow. She had to take it from her heart and seal it away somewhere else. She knew. If she ever gave in to her raging emotions then she would fall off the brink of sanity and into a furious chaos. So she had to ignore it. Ignore the despair and focus on the excitement that lay ahead. Ignore all questions and focus on the answered. There was no point in past emotions, there was no point at all.

She was an lazy person by nature. It was so much easier to just ignore and forget than to worry over something so pointless. After all, which anime fan wouldn't be happy to fall in an anime?

_Yes._ She thought incredulously and somewhat reluctantly. _This is an anime._

This was the HunterxHunter anime- or at least it resembled it in some way. There was no other explanation for it. But as much as she tried, she still couldn't wrap her mind around it. There was just no such thing. A perfectly sane, average teenager at her age would never believe such nonsense, but again, she wouldn't settle her title to be an average teenager. No. She considered herself to be an anime fan; a super obsessed one in training. Regardless of her age, it would be perfectly natural for her to believe in such things.

But as she debated, she couldn't help but think at the other options that lay lifelessly in her mind. Maybe she was dreaming? Or hallucinating? Her hand clenched unconsciously. No, she wasn't dreaming, and there was little to no chance she was hallucinating.

_No._ She thought determinedly and pushed them to the back of her mind.

But despite her fears and worries, she didn't completely hate her situation. After all, who could deny her bounding joy of living and experiencing a shounen anime first hand? Her insides grew giddy at the thoughts of adventures and the escapes from her boring life. How she would be able to let go of school work and grades, stress and last-minute assignments, and focus the adventure beyond her wildest dreams. It would be so great to just forget everything, to forget the endless continuity of unchanging routines, to do what she enjoys. It would be so fun, almost like an escape from all her troubles, to live a new life of adventure and excitement.

But it wouldn't feel right. Not without her friends and family beside her, egging her on. She missed them. Even though, it had only been a few short hours, she missed them so much. Maybe it was because she knew that she would never see them again. Heck if she knew this was going to happen, she would have at least bear-hugged her family before she had gone to sleep that night. She missed her goldfish. She missed her friends. Heck, she even missed the really annoying one.

And she didn't know exactly how she had managed to arrive to this world. Maybe a wormhole had opened up and sucked her in. Maybe some fairies kidnapped her in the middle of the night. Or maybe, she had died in her sleep and was transported to this world by default. The last option scared her slightly, sending small shivers down her sweat-drenched spine, but she didn't care how she arrived. She just wanted to find a way back.

All the worries and fears that plagued her mind were pushed away by her determination to ignore. She just didn't want to care anymore. No, she _shouldn't_ care. In this world, the only mission she had was to find a way home. She needed to ignore all her current emotions and focus on her goal. As long as she did that, there should be no chance of her falling insane.

There was just one oh-so-tiny little problem. How? How was she going to find her way home? She didn't know. Maybe a portal would just suddenly open up somewhere and swallow her up? Candice shook her head abruptly, ignoring the brown eyes that gazed questioningly at her.

How would she get back home? Was she just going to follow Kurapika around for the rest of her life? But how? She'd die so very easily. She was only but human, a weak one at that. Though she considered her strength average, she had no fighting experience. She had quick reflexes but was inattentive. How was she going to follow him around and how, was she going to keep up with him in the Hunter Exam?

Wait. She paused briefly, rewinding through her thoughts. Was she even going to do the Hunter Exam with him? She had neither the stamina nor the fighting skills to even attempt the first round. What was she to do? Candice frowned in contemplation. Maybe she could wait for him to finish the Exam and then stick to him like glue again. Or maybe…

"Fresh fruit! Come get yer fruit!"

Candice startled silently, her gaze whipping to the offending voice emanating from a gruff man. With an apple in one hand, he gave a large wave with the other, standing proudly behind a fruit stall. Curiously, she watched as he took a large bite from it before yelling out once again.

"Fresh fruit! Come get yer apples! Fresh today!"

The few people walking pass only glanced once in his direction. Candice however, cringed as a sudden growl resounded from her stomach, cramping up painfully. The insides of her mouth flooded with saliva to which she swallowed back rather hungrily. It was then she realised. Throughout the whole morning, she hadn't eaten at all; or rather she had forgotten to eat. Her stomach growled again after a short interval, its vibrations resonating through her body.

Cringing, she glanced at Kurapika, wondering if he had noticed her dilemma. The only reaction she received was a curious look and a slight raise of an eyebrow. Wincing, she looked away, some part of her wondering about his thoughts on her sanity. Her tongue instinctively swept out to wet her lips.

"Kurapika." Once again, she noticed the slight accent that marred her speech. "Are you hungry?"

He didn't even spare her a glance. "If you're hungry then just say so."

Candice glared at her sneakers. "Fine." She pronounced deliberately after some delay. "I'm hungry. When can we eat?"

"Not now. Time is running short."

Her stomach grumbled unhappily at his answer, a part of her moody at the fact that she needed permission from a fellow teenager. "Can't we get some apples though?" Her voice lingered at his silence. "It won't take long." She added, almost as a precaution.

There was another short pause. "Fine."

Almost immediately at his response, Candice strode forward lengthening the distance between them. Her stomach cramped again as she made her way towards the small fruit stand, her teeth itching to sink into some apple flesh. Briefly, she wondered how the apples would taste like in comparison to the ones at her world. Would they be sweeter? Juicier maybe? Her stomach only growled in response. Within half a minute she stood in front of the stall, her grey-tinted eyes flashing hungrily across the gleaming red apples piled in her view.

"Excuse me!" She pasted a cheery tone to her voice. "Can I get some apples?"

Her voice lingered and was met with silence. It was only after several moments that she realised there was no money for her to exchange with.

With an embarrassed smile, she dismissed his silence with a flick of her fringe. "Um… I don't have the money on me at the moment but…" Her voice trailed off at his lack of attentiveness. "Can I still get some apples first?" A frown etched itself onto her forehead when he still didn't respond. Tentatively, she tapped the man gently on the shoulder.

The man didn't answer. Instead, he scratched his shoulder, frowning slightly before biting into his apple in one healthy chomp that sent saliva piling into her mouth.

By then, Candice began to scowl, placing herself directly in his view. Her confusion only grew when his gaze seemed unfocused. "Excuse me sir." She voiced deliberately.

To her surprise, he finally reacted, a large smile unfurling onto his lips.

"Ah!" He smiled in her direction. "What can I do for yer, young man?"

Candice felt a smile blossom across her face in relief. For a second then, she had thought him to be blind or deaf. "Could I-" Then she froze.

_Wait… _Her mouth gaped open loosely like a fish. _Young man?_ As far as she remembered, she was a girl. She had not undergone a gender change any time recently. There was definitely nothing extra hanging between her legs. Nor were there any hints of stubble on her chin. Her hand instinctively rose to her jaw.

It was only then that she noticed the extra presence lingering behind her. Without another thought, she turned around, only to gaze directly at brown orbs. Strands of perfect blonde hair framed his face, swaying softly in the slight breeze. It was startling, to be honest. She hadn't even felt him come up behind her. She smiled sheepishly at him, inwardly cursing her inattentiveness.

But as she observed, her smile dropped. The blonde's brown eyes seemed to glance at her with a sort of wisdom that she couldn't describe. At the slightest contact of their eyes, she felt the sudden urge to look away. And she did, focusing her diverted gaze to the man behind the piles of fruit.

"A small bag of apples please." Kurapika spoke calmly, his effeminate tone directed at the buffy shopkeeper.

"Right up!" The salesman proclaimed before bustling about for a small bag.

Candice, on the other hand only scowled in confusion, scanning the shopkeeper for any signs of acknowledgement. There were none. As he worked, he chatted conversationally to Kurapika, ignoring her completely. At once, her history lessons flew into her mind. Feminism, she remembered her history teacher saying. Did it not happen in this world or something? Did women not have their rights? She thought wildly, clenching her right hand into a small fist.

She didn't even realise the unintentional glare on her face. She was drenched in confusion and mild indignation. Why was the man ignoring her? Why?

"That will be nine hundred Jenny!"

Candice watched with a stony gaze as Kurapika handed over the strange notes.

"Thank you! Come again!"

With that line, Kurapika made to leave the small stall, hesitating when the dark-haired girl still stood there as if she refused to leave. A glare was eerily present over her freckled features, her right hand fisted.

"Candice." He murmured softly, tugging once at her sleeve. "Come. Let's go."

Candice looked back as they retreated, frowning and glaring confusedly at the man selling fruit. It was only several minutes later that her grumbling stomach decided to remind her of her hunger, hence pushing her thoughts and confusion to the back of her mind in favour for food. "Apple please." She drawled, holding out one arm expectantly.

He tossed the small bag at her.

"Thanks."

Frowning, she drew an apple from the bag, inspecting it cautiously before rubbing it against her coat. She peered at it, noting the few callouses that dotted it and the unnatural gleam. It didn't seem to be any different from the ones she was used to.

_Apples for breakfast…_ She thought lamely. _Who knew I would become so healthy? _Wiping it once more over her coat, she then bit into it, cringing when her taste buds were introduced to a sweet but somewhat unnatural sensation. But she didn't care as she scarfed it down in five bites. In another two seconds, she had thrown away the core and bitten into another, ignoring the sticky residues on her fingers. She was never a picky eater.

"Candice."

She looked over with an unintentional glare, noting a small crease of a frown. "Yeah?"

The blonde ignored her look. "I have been thinking about this for a while."

"Go on." Candice spoke irritably, taking another bite into the apple. It took her a few seconds to register his next phrase.

"You have no reflection."

"Huh-?" She choked, inhaling a rather large bite of apple. Coughing and spluttering, she hacked violently like an old hag, her eyes tearing up. Pain clouded her mind as she tried desperately to clear her throat, panicking when something went down the wrong tube.

For several minutes, she had stopped in her tracks, coughing and spluttering wildly. Swallowing deeply, she attempted to rid the ghastly sensation, licking off the bits of saliva that lingered on her lips. It was only after another short while that it passed.

With robotic movements, she wiped her mouth and turned to the blonde beside her. A scowl etched itself onto her face when his somewhat amused expression caught her attention. But as much as she hated it, she didn't bother analysing. Her mind was just too flooded with the shock of his words.

"Y-you're kidding me right?" She cursed at her small stutter.

"No. It's quite interesting really." He jerked his head. "Look to your left."

Out of the corners of her eye, she knew there was a pane of glass leaning against the wall. She licked her lips, hesitance in her movements. She didn't want to know. She really didn't want to know. But she had to. Slowly, her head turned, a small part in her wishing almost desperately to see dark hair and a freckled face. Her eyes twitched frantically, scanning the pane of reflective material for a familiar face, a pudgy nose. Anything.

She saw the houses behind her. She saw the blonde head of Kurapika beside her. She saw the few people walking behind her. But as much as she tilted her head, angling her view, there was no reflection of her. None. None at all. She took a deep breath, her fingers reached out to ghost across the smooth cold surface of the glass, wincing when her sweaty fingers left visible fingerprints.

So it was true. She really had no reflection. Candice froze quite literally. Fear… it was the feeling that clambered over her back, sinking into her bones. A shiver ran down her back. It was creepy- no. It was beyond creepy. To have no reflection was supernatural. It was down-right scary.

Her fringe slid down to cover her left eye. She felt like a tinman, her movements short and stiff. Shakily, she took a deep breath, blinking several times as if her reflection would appear the next time she blinked. It didn't.

Her senses felt as sharp as a blunt pencil. It felt as though she was swimming through molasses. Through her temporary shock, she almost missed the familiar tone of the blonde behind her.

"From your reaction alone, I'm guessing you didn't know." Kurapika paused slightly, a curious edge lingering in his tone. "No one can see you. No one can hear you, yet you still exist physically. It's as if they cannot notice your presence."

Candice could only nod stiffly.

"Why is that?" He concluded sharply, a hint of suspicion concealed in his voice.

Her mind whirred fruitlessly. "I don't know."

"Why am I apparently the only being to notice you? Why is that?" He pressed firmly.

"I. Don't. Know." She punctuated each word with deliberate emphasis, her annoyance drifting into her tone. "Do you really think I know?"

"You know a lot of things."

She glared, her fear trickling away slowly. Irritation began to replace her fear. "I don't know." She repeated again, focusing her glare at his brown eyes. "Will you please drop it?" Her teeth gritted through her words.

Kurapika flicked his eyes across hers as if searching for any signs of deceit. The dark-haired girl only continued to hold her breath, feeling distinctly like a smuggler passing under the security check. It seemed like ages that the blonde finally pulled away, the blue cloth of his outfit swishing with an emperor-like air.

"Fine. I'll drop it." He stated, somewhat defeated before turning away. "We should go now."

To her annoyance, she found herself gaping as he strode away, gently excusing himself to pass through the small crowd of people who were no doubt curious about him talking to himself.

_..._

As the sun continued to scorch down upon her, Candice glanced around at the passing villagers and sent them small gestures. It was only when the tenth try failed to attract attention that she had gritted her teeth, accepting the now-known fact that she was invisible to the world.

She didn't bother questioning it. Thinking about its origin would only bring about a severe headache and a fruitless internal debate. For now, she would just let it slide. It wasn't that important anyways, well, not to her.

But it wasn't as bad as she thought it would have been. Regardless though, it was still unbelievably creepy. Every now and then, she would find herself peering curiously at panes of reflective panels as she passed, in her attempt to prove it wrong. She failed each and every time.

So yes, it was no doubt creepy but other than that, she found that she didn't mind all that much. After all, it wasn't as if there was absolutely no one that could see her. She had Kurapika. As long as there was at least one person to talk to, Candice knew her sanity would survive.

In fact, being invisible actually made it possible to go through the Hunter Exam with Kurapika without doing the actual exam itself. It would actually be possible to follow him without a cost. She would just have to deal with the role of a bystander and she was fine with that. Candice smiled at this, praising herself internally.

But then she realised something as she walked. What if she was deliberately made invisible? Was it to ensure that the plot will not be changed? Was it set out for her already or was this world just rejecting her in general?

Candice licked her lips before directing her attention onto the blonde beside her. "Hey."

He flicked her a small glance in acknowledgement.

She paused briefly, planning out the conservation in her head. "Don't tell anyone that I exist. No one. Okay?"

He shot her a look of suspicion and wariness. "Why?"

"Your world will become doomed."

Her response was a disbelieving face.

"Okay." She backtracked, her arms flying into a whir of gestures. "Maybe the world won't be doomed, but everything would change." At his unchanging expression, she forced herself to find an analogy. "Look. I'm like… the food colouring in water."

"Food colouring?"

"Yep! The water is your world. So far, it is clear, the colour that it's supposed to be. But depending on the food colouring, that is me; your world will change according to my actions." Her hand gestures continued.

He raised one eyebrow.

"Look." Her gestures grew unconsciously. "I'm from a different world. Our worlds aren't supposed to mingle. They're supposed to go on with their lives without any disturbances. That's the natural order."

He nodded.

"And… I'm the unnatural thing here. I'm not supposed to be here. In fact, being here by itself is already messing up your world's order." She grinned at her own explanation. "And then fate will be changed, you know? Er. Well, back to the food colouring analogy, I'm basically saying-"

He cut her off, waving an arm at her. "I get it already."

Candice froze in mid-gesture, relief flooding into her features, outlining her eyes and smile. She couldn't help but grin sheepishly. "Really? So you won't tell?"

"And what do I get in exchange?"

She frowned at this unexpected turn. "My… company? A world of natural order?" A glare formed across her features when her eyes detected a small smirk.

"Fine. It's not like it really matters to me. "

At his final phrase, Candice's glare melted into a sheepish grin. "Thanks then."

The blonde didn't respond. Nor did he speak again for the duration of their journey across town.

...

It seemed all too soon that they were finally on the ship. Once again, Candice was stunned at the massive structure, at its perfectness and at its stereotypical portrayal. It loomed over her as they approached, its wooden planks creaking as they boarded it.

Candice couldn't believe the beauty of the water; it literally sparkled and ebbed in soft waves. To the discomfort of Kurapika, she rushed towards it, dipping her fingers into the cold sea before boarding. She just couldn't help it. The opportunity was just too perfect to pass up.

But her giddiness had disappeared the moment her right foot stepped warily onto the creaking wood, trailing behind Kurapika as she made her way onto the deck of the ship.

It was a strange feeling, knowing that one self was practically invisible. A strange feeling indeed, Candice thought as she cautiously made her way behind Kurapika, careful not to bump into anyone as she walked. After all, wouldn't it be strange for other people to bump into an invisible wall?

Stereotypical thugs and bulky men glared in their direction as they made their way towards the opposite side of the large ship. She glared back half-heartedly, some sad part of her knowing it was useless. The thugs sat cross-legged on the wooden deck, some sharpening blades, some punching their fists into open palms. They whispered like gossiping girls, a fact that Candice couldn't help but laugh at.

She tried to resist the smile that unfurled onto her face when she heard a badly concealed whisper from one of them. It was a remark about the Hunter Exam allowing premature girls to participate. A smirk graced her features in the few seconds that she realised they were talking about Kurapika, the blonde who was currently gazing stonily out to the waves, one arm held loosely over the rails. The smirk on her face grew and before she knew it, she was sniggering uncontrollably along with the thugs on the ships.

She knew that herself, that she had mistaken Kurapika for a girl at first glance, but oh, it was still priceless to hear it from a character within the anime. Not only did they say he was girl, he was a _premature_ one at that. At the recount of the comment, her sniggering had dissolved into a full blown chuckle where she tried- and failed- to cover with one hand. The glare that Kurapika threw her wasn't enough to throw her off.

It was only when she had gotten over the hilarity of the comment that she sank onto the wooden planks, her legs spread out comfortably. Her sore feet buzzed numbly. Smiling at nothing in particular, she hoped that they wouldn't be moving anytime soon. Heck, she couldn't even lift one toe, let alone stand up again on two legs. Her aching back leant against the wood in relief, her head hitting the wood gently as her fringe fell over her face. Without her permission, her senses began to seemingly shut down one by one.

Slowly, she could feel her vision dimming, her eyelids closing over her glassy eyes. Tilting her head slightly, she enjoyed the soft breeze that blew across her face and the rather pleasing sounds of water. The swaying of the ship beneath her seemed hardly noticeable. The strong stench of salt water only seemed to relax her as she breathed deeply, trying to absorb as much of it as she could. She blinked constantly, in her attempt to fight against the fatigue that struggled to overwhelm her. But overwhelm her it did, and she was pulled into the warm blankness of her mind.

…..

_She was Professor Oak. Three pokeballs and a kid stood before her. _

"_Choose your starter Pokémon." She found herself saying, indicating to the kid with a white sleeved arm._

_The kid only shook his head, his smile wide across his face. _"_I'm going to become the best Hunter in the world! " He only yelled to her in a childish voice. _

_Then everything faded away before she could question his choice._

There was the tang of salty air, hitting against her skin. There was a cramp on her neck. Sounds became distinguished. There were the gentle laps of water, the distinct murmurings of chatter and the piercing cries of seagulls from above. She ignored them all, her only goal being to drift back into unconsciousness once more. She wanted to see the kid in her dreams again... she wanted to question him, and ask why he didn't want a Pokémon...

"ONCE I'M THE BEST HUNTER IN THE WORLD…!"

She stirred, one hand reaching out for her non-existent pillow to muffle the loud childish yell that kept her from her well-deserved sleep. A small frown formed briefly upon her forehead.

"I'LL COME BACK!"

By then, she had realized with a grumble that it was near impossible to fall asleep again. Breathing in the soothing stench of ocean, she took notice of the heavy swaying under her and the hard wood that she rested upon. Her coal eyes snapped open with silent grace, squinting slightly at the sun that raged at her from above.

It took a while to glance around, taking in her settings. Blue skies, fluffy clouds, wood, thugs and water met her quick gazes as she stood abruptly, ignoring the searing pains of her sore legs. One quick gaze of blonde hair told her she wasn't alone.

Dizzily, her gaze was drawn to a source of bright green, a colour that stood out from the dull and shaded colours of the ship. The noises around her dimmed as she focused her stare on the bright green jacket of a little boy.

He was short: A fact that she took obvious delight in, even though she was probably six or seven years his senior. His hair was an unusual black, tinted green which was spiked up stiffly on top of his head. But as much as Candice observed, she couldn't find any visible traces of hairspray or gel. It seemed completely natural.

Unashamedly, she continued to stare openly as the little boy turned around. For a long while, everything around her seemed to blur. She couldn't help it. At the first glance of his face, she had gasped mentally.

He was cute, that she couldn't deny. With wide dark brown eyes and soft spiked hair, Candice couldn't help but gape slightly. Oh how she wanted to pat his spiked strands. They seemed so soft, gleaming in the sunlight. Her head turned instinctively as the boy turned away, bounding down a set of steps and out of her view.

It was only when he disappeared that her focus returned. It was as if the spell was broken. Her eyes widened in realisation.

Was that… supposed to be Gon?

At her realisation, she almost smacked herself across her head. How could she not have realised? She smiled briefly. The Gon here seemed so much cuter than the anime Gon, and she meant cute as in the 'little brother' cute. When she sees him again, regardless of her invisibleness, she was going to pat his spiky hair. No one was going to stop her! She chuckled manically.

It was only then that a soft 'ahem' drew her from her thoughts. She startled silently as she realised she was still gazing at the place where the little boy had disappeared. She cringed mentally at herself for staring after a little boy. No. There was no way in hell she was a lolicon. Kurapika's repulsed expression didn't help her case.

"He had cool hair." She stated, rather unnecessarily in defence.

"I didn't say anything." As if concluding the exchange, he turned his attention back out to sea, his golden tresses swaying in the breeze.

There was then a silence between the two, something that Candice felt very conscious about. With stiff movements, she forced herself to look out the sea, taking in the jewelled waters and blue sky. The clouds passed leisurely, occasionally forming into strange shapes.

It was only after the tenth dolphin she saw, that dread flooded her senses. She froze.

_Wasn't there… supposed to be a storm? A big storm? _She thought, almost frantically.

_Shit._ Her heart plummeted. If she remembered correctly, wasn't the ship meant to literally fly? Wasn't there supposed to be chaos?

Candice licked her lips nervously, blinking once when the seagulls above gave a rather piercing cry. She reacted instantly, craning her neck to the clouds above, searching for the tell-tale signs of a storm. But as she looked about, the sky seemed clear, with the few white clouds that passed by.

The choruses of cries grew steadily from above, clashing with her rather sensitive ears. One minute melted into ten as she continued to gaze out to sea, her eyes still scanning for the rolling black clouds. Her heart weighed heavily.

And then it came. Like a flood broken from a dam, the blackness rolled swiftly across the blue sky, consuming everything in its wake. Candice could only gape as small droplets began pelting at her exposed skin, vaguely registering the small tug on her sleeve.

"Come. We'll need to go underdeck."

Lightning flashed as the ship bounded dangerously among the tousling waves. Warily, Candice followed the blonde down a set of wooden steps and into a wide aisle, lit warmly with the glow of small lamps. But she could hardly move.

Bulky men and sailors alike were rushing to and fro, bumping into her occasionally. A high pitched curse flew from her mouth when the ground beneath her tilted suddenly, almost causing her to lose her balance. The floor continued to sway dizzily as they entered a small door and into a vast space, already crowded with vomiting sailors and exam participants alike.

Instinctively, her hand reached out to clamp onto a meaty arm when the floor tilted steeply yet again. Things rattled, the boards creaked. It seemed like a nightmare yet so real at the same time: it felt like standing on an uncontrollable bus with nothing to grip on. It was complete chaos.

Her heart pounded when a sudden crate of wood missed her narrowly as it slid around. With sweaty fingers, she clutched the back of Kurapika's outfit, ignoring the fact that she was wrinkling it. Everything was chaotic. She didn't know what direction she was in. Men, crates, barrels and pieces of equipment were flying everywhere, some missing narrowly by millimetres. Thankfully, she was still on her feet as she tried to find a nice corner, free from the turmoil.

She was failing miserably. Somewhere during the confusion, she had lost sight of Kurapika, her grip torn from his outfit. Her head hurt terribly and there was an incredible urge to puke as the floor continued to slope to and fro from under her. Her stomach coiled and tangled; her mind hazed and blurred.

The floor wouldn't stop swaying, the things wouldn't stop flying and her heart wouldn't stop racing. Things continued to fly around as the ship rocked and tousled along the wild waves. It was completely horrible. More than once, she had fallen to the ground and had struggled up again, desperate with the need to survive. She knew that –well, hoped – the ship wouldn't sink, but that didn't stop her fear of death. Through the chaos, short-lived plans flew through her mind of how she could escape.

In the midst of the chaos, a bulky arm elbowed her roughly in her stomach, causing her to knee another. Vaguely, she could register the deep voice that boomed from the guy she had been pushed onto. Her rather sensitive ears hurt from the distinct shouts of two men.

"OI BRUTE! YOU DARE ELBOW ME?"

"GOTTA PROBLEM?"

Candice wasn't sure if a brawl had broken out or not. At once she was jostled away again by the horde of chaos. As the floor tilted steeply yet again, she was thrown off her feet and flown across to the other side of the room. Through her hazed vision, she thought she saw a flash of blonde and blue.

She slammed heavily onto two skinny guys, knocking them both to the wooden floor. Her eyes widened as she fell, instinctively sticking out her right arm to divert her fall as a face came up dangerously close to her own. With fluke grace that she didn't know she possessed, she swivelled her body with one arm, twisting it in the process. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she fell hard on the wood, her heart pounding at the otherwise consequences.

Without missing a beat, she crawled along the masses of legs, wincing in pain when something fell onto her back. To her relief, it was only a bag, heavy enough to hurt but light enough to not break her back. In the middle of the confusion, she paused momentarily for someone to claim it back. When there was none, she gripped it in one hand and stood up again, having decided that crawling was too dangerous.

The floor tilted steeply yet again. Wincing, she tripped and fell onto the cold wood as the floor tilted in another completely random direction. Desperately, her hand reached up weakly to grasp onto a stray ledge.

It was then that everything tilted vertically. Her stomach was pumped into the chest cavity. At once, she was lifted off her feet and pulled in by gravity as she slammed painfully into a wall. Her back ached horribly, littered with bruises while her head kept buzzing a strange tune.

A loud scraping noise resounded towards her, catching her attention. With wide eyes, she could only watch as a large crate sped towards her. She couldn't react, nothing she could do.

All at once, she was consumed by a surging wave of white hot pain that lingered agonisingly as everything faded to black, her vision drenched in darkness.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**

**Disclaimer: Quite obviously. Pokémon, HunterxHunter and any other random mentions. I don't own.**

**Editors: PechaPichu, Judy.**

**Now click onto the next chapter please!**


	5. Chapter 5

The young teenager blinked hazily, barely registering where she was. Everything was blurry – indistinct and unclear, like an opaque fog that clouded over her entire vision. Pain throbbed down her back and over her legs, while an indescribable headache dominated her mind. Where her fringe had swept over her eyes, her vision was marred by black strands, yet her heavy arms wouldn't respond to flick it away. Instead, they slackened helplessly, hanging painfully over something that she couldn't comprehend.

Everything was blue. A deep dark blue that felt soft to the touch. Somewhere in her consciousness, there were thin strands brushing uncomfortably against one of her ears, tickling it slightly. Her legs flopped uselessly to a silent rhythm. Everything seemed to sway uncomfortably, triggering a faint sense of nausea in her.

Her vision felt almost boxed in as she blinked blankly. There was a momentum, a force that kept her head knocking onto something firm every now and then. A firm shoulder-blade…

_Wait… _

Was someone _carrying _her?

She couldn't even panic properly, the blankness of her current mind overpowering. Reluctantly, she attempted to blink again, forcing away the raging pain that continued to consume her. The cloudiness in her eyes only increased when she blinked blearily, the dark blue in her vision fading as her eyelids drifted shut.

Loud clanking… Blurred shouts… and the heavy creaking of wood.

The buzzing in her mind grew to an insane volume, seemingly eating away at her ears, consuming her senses one by one. The blackness was a welcomed piece of paradise and she dove into it without hesitation, her mind greedy for peace.

She was asleep before she knew it.

….

When she woke up again, the first thing comprehendible was a splitting headache and the lack of clearness of her vision. Her brown, grey-flecked eyes darted around in their attempt to latch onto whatever that she found recognisable. But alas, all she saw was a foggy brownness.

Minutes passed at a snail's pace.

_What's with all the wood…?_

It was only another long moment later that she realised that she was, in fact, staring up at a wooden ceiling. Upon this realisation, the dark-haired girl only blinked once dazedly.

_Huh...?_

Black and green spots flew across her vision, the edges fuzzy enough to irritate.

_What…_ Her thoughts paused momentarily. _What happened to me?_

She didn't know how long she lay there, staring dazedly with no focus, while her brain whirred on auto-pilot. Vague memories flashed by in short snippets, as if fuelled by the echoing throbs of pains of her headache. Her fingers clenched unconsciously.

_Ah… That's right. There was a storm._

At the mention of storm, the images in her mind flickered again.

_Everything had been chaos._

Gaping slightly, her eyes widened. Her fingers curled unconsciously.

_What happened after that? _

She sat up abruptly, ignoring the splitting pains in her back. Dots of black clouded her vision as she struggled to straighten up, noting the screeching creaks that echoed around her, piercing painfully into her cranium. Her headache was like a raging fire within the black blankness of her mind as she absentmindedly flopped her legs. They dropped like boulders, swinging off what she had come to realise as a small hammock. The rough fabric scraped her palm as she tried, in vain, to stabilise its swaying; to stop the piercing creaks that echoed at every sway.

Her eyes widened in panic, when a horrible shudder ran down her back and the familiar sensation of nausea bulged in her throat. Without hesitation, only two words were choked from her throat.

"Kurapika... "She rasped without thinking, her mind suddenly filled with the images of blonde hair and brown eyes. "Puke…"

Her words resonated painfully through her headache, its volume seemingly magnified several times. She winced, her clammy fingers stiff when something large, and strangely wooden, was pushed into them. There was nothing she could do but heave as half-digested materials regurgitated up into the back of her throat, emptying out in lumpy splatters.

Her stomach seemed to overturn once more as she heaved, the sour stench of apples rising up into her throat. With a another sudden heave, the contents of her stomach pumped up through her oesophagus, filing their way through her raspy throat and spilling from her mouth, collecting saliva and mucus along the way.

Candice squeezed her eyes shut as she puked, two fingers clamped onto her nose. The lumpy liquids burst from her mouth, some dribbling down her chin rather unpleasantly, fuelled by the constant swaying under her. It was only fifteen minutes later that it was managed under control. The dark-haired girl clenched and unclenched her fists, panting over the container as she tried to stabilize herself.

The swaying beneath wouldn't stop. The creaks increased their protest as she tried to clamber clumsily off the swinging hammock and onto solid flooring. With a foggy vision, she managed to make out someone supporting her by the arm, as if helping her to the ground. She collapsed weakly onto the wooden planks, her trembling legs somehow finding themselves in a crossed position.

"Water… please…" She managed to rasp out, ignoring another sudden lurch in her stomach. Everything was hazy, as if dipped into a cloudy mixture of limewater. For several minutes, it seemed as though no one heard her. Licking her lips, Candice attempted to speak again. "Wat-"

At once she felt something being pushed into her limp fingers, disrupting her speech. But she didn't care. She didn't even look as she tossed head back and downed the contents in one, relishing at the cool liquid that washed away the traces of vomit from her throat.

As her eyes blinked again, she cringed visibly at the sight of her own vomit splattered in the bucket, cringing away from its stench that radiated towards her. She blinked again several times, in her attempts to dull the headache that was currently raging its fury upon her.

Blinking rapidly, her gaze was diverted when the cup was prised gently from her tight fingers, lingering on a mixture of blonde and blue. Startled, she could only stare as the teenager placed it somewhere, a mixture of what seemed to be obvious disgust, concern and some other emotion pressed out across his face.

Kurapika gave the girl a small glance. "Are you alright?"

She winced at his voice, which felt like a tidal wave of sound crashing onto her skull.

"Yeah." Even her own voice felt foreign and unnecessarily loud. "Just a horrible headache."

"That's to be expected." The blonde nodded at her, his voice noticeably softer than before. "You were knocked out for a few minutes."

Only one word drifted swimmingly into her mind. "Concussion?"

"A very slight one."

"Ah." She blinked again in her attempt to rid herself of the cloudiness in her mind. Her headache seemed to be dulling, reducing the pain to an insane buzz – a shadow of the pain earlier- in her brain. Instinctively, her tired arms rose to her head, massaging her forehead with an amateur's touch.

"Take the hammock and get some sleep." Kurapika spoke. "We should be arriving to land in half a day."

"Ah… Thanks." Candice told him, as she watched him settle on the ground, leaning comfortably against a wall. "Thank you – for looking after me." She voiced somewhat awkwardly.

'You're welcome." He replied shortly, a book held loosely in his hands.

Candice only smiled guiltily at his answer, before clambering onto the swaying hammock, shuffling her legs into a more comfortable position. The hammock, if she remembered correctly, that Kurapika was supposed to be sitting in.

_Oh well…_ She thought dryly, _it's mine now. _

Closing her eyes determinedly, she tried to find that black paradise again. That black paradise that never failed to take her pain and worries away.

But the hammock creaked horribly at every sway and her headache pounded at every screech. Every now and then, there would be a distant slam that would send a pang of whiteness under her closed eyelids. The pain in her head buzzed in an eternal march, clogging up her thoughts. The rough material under her only scraped at her exposed skin whenever she shifted to a better position.

She didn't know how long she had stilled, her eyes twitching under her stubborn eyelids. She didn't know how long she before she finally fell into a dreamless sleep.

…

Candice woke again sometime later, disoriented and heavy-lidded. She blinked slowly, her vision focusing ever so slowly while a distinct headache raged dully in one corner of her mind. With much difficulty, she managed to sit up, her legs dangling over one side of the swaying hammock.

Yawning widely, she stretched out her muscles and rolled her shoulders, wincing when a particular crack resounded from her arm. Her legs were stiff as they touched the floor, her knees refusing to bend for a while. Oblivious to her surroundings, she drew her shirt up, prodding the bruise that blemished across her lower stomach.

It was only after a couple minutes of inspection that she realised her situation. Blankly, she glanced at the vast room before her, noting the numbers of collapsed thugs and sailors alike. Some fell over each other in heaps while others seemed to sleep in awkward positions, drool dribbling from their lips.

Crates, wood and equipment were strewn everywhere in a chaotic fashion. A crate of green apples had spilt, its contents splaying over the wood like scattered marbles. A chair lay forlornly on its side.

Everything seemed still, with the exception of the swaying floor boards beneath her. In the silence, soft pants and deep breaths could be heard. There were light snores, occasionally accompanied by soft moans of pain. Distant footsteps signalled the passing of hurrying sailors.

With a start, she realised the absence of the blonde teenager.

"Ku…" Candice began hesitatingly, glancing around. "Kurapika?"

She was met with silence. Boards creaked. Things rattled, and the floor continued to tilt in a rather disorienting fashion.

At first, fear crept over her with icy fingers, their tendrils snaking into her core. Her body stilled, frozen at the solitude that her body was forced to acknowledge. Her heart pounded heavily, each beat marking the increase of her hysteria. There was a strange buzzing at the back of her mind, one that did not relate directly to the source of her dulling headache.

Stiffly, she stumbled across the vast space, stepping strategically over the many limbs and bodies that littered the floor. Her mind was thick with indecision, blankness, recklessness and instinct as she continued to stumble, balancing out her arms every now and then to steady herself from the tilting floor. Her headache hummed dully in the background, overpowered by the instincts that guided her.

She wanted to- no, she _needed_ to find Kurapika. Wherever he was.

But as the exit staggered into her view, she didn't know what she was doing. Her mind was a vision of blurriness, a foggy landscape of nothingness, driven purely by her fear. Her dark fringe hung into her face, their strands tickling the tip of her nose. Her cracked lips opened and closed wordlessly in open gapes.

She froze, one hand resting upon the wooden door knob, her eyes wide as she tried to collect her thoughts; her jumbled thoughts that refused to be ordered. But as much as she tried to back her instincts up with logical reasoning, the fear that threatened to consume her wouldn't go away. In fact it stayed there, rooted to her just as how her hand was frozen to the door knob.

For minutes, she had stood there, her body frozen, stiff and robot-like. Her thoughts jumbled and ravelled, her emotions dominated with panic. For seemingly long age, she had stood there, ignoring the heavy sways that rocked the floor from beneath Then, as if thawed, she snorted humourlessly, her lips parting in an open, almost maniacal laugh. As her grip tightened onto the wooden door knob, there was a slight thought in her head, questioning her sanity.

She didn't know how she was to answer that slight thought. She couldn't think of a logical reasoning to excuse her sudden actions. But she didn't need to try. The answer was already there, presented out in her mind.

_I just don't wanna… _

Candice grimaced at her weakness, her tongue sweeping out to wet her lips.

_I don't wanna_ _be alone._

With determination, she wrenched the door inwards before proceeding to exit out into the wide corridor before her. Lamps threw their warm lights over her as she scuttled along, hastily setting one foot in front of the next. One hand trailed along the wooden walls while the other hung limply to her side.

Once, her friend had asked her. Her friend had asked her, that if she could go anywhere in the world, where would she go. Chuckling, she had replied, anywhere. Just as long as she wasn't alone, that she had someone to stand by her, she would go anywhere in the world.

Oh how different her scenario had been. To be tossed into another world, with no one to accompany her, with the exception of an anime character that she wasn't even sure was real. What was more; he was the only person she could interact with. She had been cursed with the fate of a literal living ghost, a girl with no presence. A girl that no one could see.

There was the scent of muskiness, and the heavy stench of rain that lingered in the air. Distant footsteps echoed ghostly, the pattering of rain audible even from below. A cold draft whispered through the corridor, haunting her exposed skin with goose bumps and chilliness. The boards creaked eerily from under her, their tuneless din a lullaby to her ears.

She really didn't know what she was doing as she stumbled through the corridor, one arm held out for balance. She didn't even know the exact aims of her actions. All she wanted to do was to find Kurapika, that blonde anime character that she knew she could trust. And that was what drove her instincts, driving her blissfully blank mind forward.

Perhaps it was the results of a slight concussion. Perhaps it was it was fuelled by the panic that strived to overwhelm her. She didn't know, regardless of the vague ideas that her mind conjured up at random moments.

But it was only after a great deal of snooping around, that her mind seemed to recover what was lost of its common sense. At once, she froze in her tracks, her hands clammy and cold. Some part of her suppressed the urge to sink to the ground and hide away from everything.

Just what on earth. What the hell was she doing?

Candice stiffened, a cold shudder running down her back. Was she always this reckless? Heading into things without a proper thought?

She cursed the large part of her consciousness that replied yes without hesitation.

_Crap._ She cursed again, her unfeeling hands gripped tightly onto the material of her coat, her fingers having found its way into her pockets, clutching possessively over the smooth surface of her Nintendo. It soothed her, just like it always did whenever she felt frustrated.

Just what was she thinking? Why was she being like this?

She couldn't find a logical answer. And that frightened her.

An unnatural draft drifted over her neck, causing goose-bumps to erupt simultaneously. She stiffened even more, her consciousness wary as if a shadowed hand was going to reach out for her from the darkness. Her fringe fell into her face, a thick black curtain, uncertain.

She didn't know how long she stood there, leaning tiredly against the wall like some limp noodle. Time just passed like that. Somewhere through the distant silence, she even swore that she heard the ticks of a non-existent clock. But that was probably her imagination.

With one hand clutched unconsciously to her Nintendo as an anchor for her thoughts, she searched fruitlessly through her blank mind. She just didn't know what to do. Her first thought had been to backtrack. To retrace her steps back to the vast space of unconscious sailors and Exam participants alike. But then, the majority of her available consciousness had rejected it, telling her to move forward.

But she was losing track of her purpose. She was losing track of her aim, her goal. Was… was this because she was far too consumed by instincts alone? Had she forgotten about everything else? After all, shouldn't she be figuring this out logically, instead of acting blindly?

Candice licked her lips with one sweep of her tongue before gritting her teeth. Her fringe was still in her face, hanging limply in long strands that well reached to the tip of her nose. The blackness of it clouded her eyes, forming a blurry barrier in her vision. As annoying as it was, she just couldn't bring herself to flick it away. She licked her lips once more, supressing the urge to close her tired eyes. Her headache didn't help her focus as it hovered irritatingly in the corner of her mind.

But really… Where was Kurapika?

Slowly, she felt her legs respond once more, dragging themselves over the unbalanced swaying of the wooden floor.

Where was he? Why had he left her alone? Candice thought quickly, going over the more obvious reasons for her rash actions. Shouldn't he have at least left her some sort of note? Or maybe… he had ditched her. Just like that.

Her two feet stumbled against each other as a sudden tilt of the ship caused the boards to rattle and creak. The warm lights flickered once and were still. Distantly, she heard footsteps, frantic and heavy, pounding upon the wood. She thought she heard a door slam open. Shouts echoed along; the footsteps grew louder and all of a sudden, everything felt so… alive.

Without warning, a jumble of fast footsteps announced the arrivals of people running in her direction. On instinct, she snuck herself against the wall, her sore back leaning heavily into it as if determined to meld. Not too long after, two figures ran pass her.

As she watched through her fringe, a distinct green flashed before her, embedding its colour into her mind. Green… Bright green, like the colour of light grass.

Candice gaped, gazing after a retreating back of green, noting for the first time, the dark spikes of hair that stuck out like styled pikes. The shortness of the boy coupled with the familiar rod that he held loosely behind his back.

_Gon. _

It was Gon.

Then a thought hit her. Like a ripple on water, it surfaced from her mind, triggering connections of other remembrances along the way. Candice cursed lowly, a string of jagged curses ripping from her lips. It was only moments later that she smacked herself mentally over the head, cursing her blankness.

_What. The. Hell._

Her pride took a steep dive.

She had just wasted an hour's worth of energy; mindlessly probing around the ship for an anime character when she could have just stayed put, and waited for him to come back. Why? Why was she so instinctive? Why, oh why, couldn't she have thought everything out before acting?

She blamed it on her head. After all, she had hit her head pretty hard. Her buzzing headache only fuelled her reasoning as she blamed the cursed hit to her head. Yes. It was all because of the slight concussion that she had acted like this. If she were under normal circumstances then there was absolutely no way that she would acted without rational thinking.

Her consciousness wasn't convinced but her pride stabled.

But how? How did she forget? This world was corresponded to the plot of the anime. Kurapika was, of course, with the captain and others, ensuring his spot in the Hunter Exam! That was why she was alone when she woke.

_But why?_ She then thought. "Why was everything- "

Her question died on her lips, her eyes widening simultaneously in realisation. The answer to her unfinished question came instantly to her mind, floating cheekily around as if in taunt.

Kurapika… If her memory was correct, Kurapika should be now attempting to face off with Leorio. Right? Judging from the loud shouts from above and the heavy patters of footsteps, the plot of the anime should be going along, shouldn't it? Which meant…

The boat tilted steeply yet again, forcing the girl to clutch desperately for a hold.

But if the plot of the anime was going along… then, if her guess was correct, the ship should currently be in the danger zone of a tornadic waterspout. That would explain the sudden increase of noise.

_Then… _

Without permission, her legs pumped forward, following after the lingering trails of Gon and the sailor. Her consciousness was split in half, one half shouting for her to retreat, the other half shouting at her to fly into the adventure. Her heart ached.

Wasn't the part where Gon saves the sailor supposed to play out any minute now? Her breathing hitched as she ran, her excitement building. The blood rushed to her face.

It was the first major scene of the anime. The scene, although a bit cheesy, had been the scene to capture her interest in the anime in the first place. So there was no way. There was _absolutely no way _she was going to miss it being played in live action.

She ignored the 'danger' signals of her mind as she ran, pumping her sore legs to the beat of a silent tune. Her breaths came out in soft pants, misting when it came in contact with the cold air. Candice only blinked in surprise, having taken no notice of the temperature. Her fringe flew back as she ran, and her vision felt clearer than it had been before.

She kept jogging until she was met by an icy draft that seeped through her clothes and onto her skin. Before she could suppress it, a shiver had already run down her back, chilling her senses. Looking up, a smile graced her lips as a flight of stairs trickled into her view, followed by an open door that swivelled wildly on its hinges, like a disobedient puppet of the howling winds. The levels of creaking were almost unbearable.

Water was noticeably bled into the wood, some trickling in from the door. But she didn't care. All she wanted was to witness that specific scene, and then she could smile happily. If she lost this chance, she knew that she would live the next few days in regret, wallowing in self-pity.

So, whatever the consequences may be, she just couldn't afford to miss it.

She took the short flight of stairs two steps at a time, almost tripping in her excitement. It was only when she arrived at the doorway that she took a hesitant step, her enthusiasm worn out. To say it was cold would be a major understatement. Candice could only gape as she peered from the doorway, two hands held firmly onto the open door to steady herself against the swaying boards beneath her.

Rain pelted. Angry waves of water flooded over the tousled ship deck while the creaking of wood was horrendous, even when contested against the sounds of nature. But what was really amazing, were the sailors that were scuttling across the deck like ants, some running, some falling and some yelling out orders.

It was… absolutely perfect. The perfect scene. Candice felt a smile fall on her lips as she watched, somehow mesmerised by the seemingly perfect system of a ship. She didn't really know what she was feeling. Fear? Panic? Excitement? But above all, she was honoured to have been able to witness such a scene first-hand.

Then she shook her head. No, she couldn't just stand here. No. she needed to find her desired scene, the one that she wanted to witness personally. Her decision was made. What anime fan would she be if she didn't?

Without hesitation, she took off her coat, shuddering when her skin was exposed to the cold. She folded it quickly with the slightest twinge of regret, her arms shaking, before throwing it onto a dry patch of ground. She couldn't risk splashing water onto the devices in the coat's pockets. Especially her Nintendo. For now, they'll just have to sit there. She'll just come back for them later.

_Yeah. I'll come back for them later. _

Stumbling out into the open, an immediate blast of cold wind hit her squarely across the chest. Angry rain assaulted at her exposed skin, soaking greedily into her clothes and hair. Candice winced, cringing from the icy cold that seemed to be gnawing on her. The rain wouldn't stop pelting on her, its livid bullets hard enough to bruise slightly. As she swept away her wet mop of a fringe, she stumbled over the flooded deck, arms held out for balance. The floor kept tilting, causing her to flail this way and that.

She ran as fast as she could, avoiding sailors and the like, recklessness piling into her gut. Her clothes were heavy, soaked completely with the rain that poured down with little mercy. She tried not to completely stop and stare as she approached the railings, at the giant clump of water in the distance as it spiralled at a horrifying speed.

But she failed, as her legs drew to a stop, her mouth agape with shock, horror and awe as she stared, two hands clutched securely to the railings of the ships. She would have continued to stare if it wasn't for the dangerous tilt of the floor, flinging a wave of sea water over the railings, where it crashed its full force onto the girl.

"Arrgghhh!"

She couldn't help but be tossed aside, sprawled across the deck like a ragdoll. Ice consumed her as she tried to stand, her teeth chattering while she strived to wipe the water from her eyes. Her body was engulfed in endless waves of shudders, each painfully chillier than the last.

But as numb as she were, she knew better than to stay in the middle of the chaos. _After all_, she debated inwardly. After all, she didn't risk her life out here for nothing. No. She had come out to witness a particular scene. There was no way that she was going to turn back.

Her stubbornness was real. Her courage was not. As she picked herself again, she was consumed by another round of shivers. Her teeth wouldn't stop chattering, her legs wouldn't stop shaking. But even so, she forced herself to run across the deck, running against the wind that howled towards her. The deck was flooded with water –water that squelched under her sneakers as she ran.

The rain pelted into her hair, streaming down her features, some running into her open eyes. Through the rain, she could see two lines of people, each line tugging almost futilely on a long piece of thick rope. The men grunted and roared, heaved and hauled upon those ropes, with a range of emotions flashed out across their rain-streaked faces.

It was only a while of reluctant glances that she realised with a jolt that the sailors were supposed to be bringing the sails down. She slowed to a jog, her eyes flickering around in slight guilt. A flash of green told her of Gon's presence. But if Gon was still helping out… Did that mean?

Her hands, numb with cold, clenched in silent triumph. If Gon was still at the ropes, that meant that she wouldn't be too late for the scene. A grin flew across her blue lips as she turned her back, fully intending to run to the opposite end of the wooden ship.

But she had celebrated too early. At that exact moment, a piercing shriek lit the atmosphere, its pitch ringing painfully into her sore head. There were shouts of shock and surprise, following the scream into a chorus. It was in that split heartbeat that Candice realised.

It had already started.

_Damnit._ She cursed in her head, forcing her cold, frozen legs to run faster. _I'm too slow._

The screaming continued, and her headache reacted with it. The loud yells and shouts around her didn't help her case. The rain kept pouring and the ship kept tossing about wildly. The deck was flooded with cold sea-water that rushed at her, threatening to tip her over.

But as she ran, she hated the guilt that plastered across her heart. After all, it wasn't real. It was just an enactment of the anime. It wasn't like anyone was going to give their lives. Why would she feel guilty? She shook her head emotionlessly.

It seemed like ages, but in actuality, it had taken her a mere few seconds to sprint across, skidding on the wet deck when she turned that corner before finding herself at the front of the entire ship. As she had anticipated, there was that familiar flash of blond and blue that she couldn't help but curl her frozen lips at.

_He's here. And to think I was almost panicking just a mere while ago._

She paid no attention to the older man there. She didn't pay attention to her position, unaware of her closeness to the railings and side. Nor did she pay attention to anything else. In her world of numbness, coldness and adrenaline, the only thing she focused on was the blonde-haired teenager in her view, and her apparent triumph of running against time. All the noise, the yells and screams, the pattering of rain, everything seemed to be played out in a droned silence.

She had made it. Her grin grew wider, her lungs raspy and her heart pounding fiercely. But she didn't care. All that ran through her mind was relief- relief at having made it on time to witness an anime scene that was to be played in live action.

But the expression on Kurapika's face spoke volumes as he stared at her. His dark eyes flashed with what seemed to be shock, horror and- dare she say? - panic. In that split second, his lips moved, his eyes narrowing the slightest.

Candice only continued to smile at him, nodding her head as if she understood everything, while having none the slightest idea of what he was saying. She was still high on adrenaline, unaware of her surroundings. Unaware of anything really.

Then it happened.

Her mouth gaped open with shock and pain when she turned around, a blurry thing crashing into her upper body with the force of a small tsunami.

She couldn't even find the time to screech when her legs stumbled backwards, her back smashing harshly into the wooden side of the ship. Her eyes widened a fraction, her arms splayed limply as she was flung back by the momentum on her upper body.

Something happened. There was a crack and then she was falling backwards.

Backwards into a weightless space.

And into the cold, dark water.

* * *

**Hey! Like always, thanks for reading :)**

**ANYWAYS, a HUGE THANKS to ALL my readers, especially the ones that took the time to comment! **

**Editor/s: Pecha Pichu, Judy.**

**I don't own HxH.**

**Comments... critiques... EVERYTHING! All are welcome :D Please review and tell me if you like the story so far! Well if you don't... then tell me anyways! It's always cool to know what I can improve on :)**


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